Larch Mountain from Grouse Vista, 6/25/2022

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pdxalex
Posts: 59
Joined: July 26th, 2016, 4:04 pm

Larch Mountain from Grouse Vista, 6/25/2022

Post by pdxalex » June 25th, 2022, 5:42 pm

The hike for this weekend had to be relatively close to Portland (about an hour away) and relatively short (5-6 miles). Given my preference for not being in crowds when I hike, I chose Larch Mountain, about 20 miles north of Washougal. There are only two trip reports posted so what the heck. We opted to approach the Grouse Vista trailhead from the south. The FG directions were excellent. The road was in decent shape. There are a few stretches in the last 6-7 miles that have a bunch of potholes but nothing that any 2WD car couldn't navigate. The Grouse Vista trailhead was packed, perhaps 30-35 cars lining the road. Be sure to bring your Discovery Pass because the DNR police were writing tickets when we arrived. Four or five cars had $99 tickets on their windshields. Fortunately, everyone was going to Silver Star. The trail to Larch Mountain was as described in the FG. We encountered 5 mountain bikers, 2 hikers, and 1 person who wanted to go to Silver Star but went the wrong way from the trailhead. We didn't see much for flowers -- bear grass in a few more open areas, some false lupin, a little bleeding heart, and a tiny bit of paintbrush on the other side of the summit. As the FG notes, the views are limited. There is one short stretch of trail that offers views of Silver Star, Mt St Helens, and Rainier. At the summit, there is one narrow view of downtown Portland. If you follow the access road past the microwave station about a quarter mile, you will get excellent, broad views to the south and west. It is an interesting perspective of Multnomah and Clark counties. I thought it was interesting to stand on Larch Mountain in Washington and see Larch Mountain in Oregon. My wife and daughter did not share my interest. This is a good hike if you want to avoid the crowds, to get a little exercise, and to get some different views.

First views
silver star.jpg
Mt. St. Helens with Goat Mountain on the left looking kind of tempting to climb
Mt St Helens.jpg
Downtown PDX from the summit
downtown PDX.jpg
From about a 1/4 mile down the road past the summit
view to south.jpg
Only view of Mt Hood but from the road maybe 1/2 a mile below the trailhead
Mt Hood.jpg

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